The acquisition has been made in a transaction valued at $220 million.
Integral Ad Science (IAS) has announced that it has acquired Publica, the connected TV (CTV) advertising platform, in a cash and stock transaction valued at $220 million.
With this acquisition, Integral Ad Science is accelerating its CTV strategy to help publishers better monetise their video programming across CTV devices, while building new tools to provide advertisers with much-needed transparency into the quality of this inventory.
“CTV viewership and programmatic advertising have skyrocketed, and by acquiring Publica we’re accelerating our growth to offer publishers the tools to capitalize on this opportunity,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, IAS. “Advanced data and technology will fuel the future of addressable CTV advertising. Now video publishers can increase their revenue, and in the future we will help advertisers with a trusted way to measure the results of their growing CTV budgets. In fact, Publica reports that publishers using its platform have seen on average a 30% lift in yield for their CTV inventory. I welcome Ben and the Publica team as we innovate together to increase CTV advertising quality and impact.”
“Audiences have already switched to watching CTV and more ad-supported content than ever; by joining IAS, we’re offering a trusted platform for brands and publishers to drive more ad dollars towards CTV,” said Ben Antier, Co-Founder & CEO, Publica. “We have a joint vision to transform CTV advertising with a data-driven approach that benefits the entire industry, while delivering an exceptional user experience.”
Publica delivers over 3 billion ads on CTV every month. By acquiring Publica, Integral Ad Science adds a talented team with decades of experience building leading video and CTV advertising products, while delivering results for some of the world’s largest publishers. Publica co-Founder and CEO, Ben Antier, now will report directly to IAS CEO Lisa Utzschneider. The Publica brand will become part of IAS’s product portfolio.
Under the terms of the agreement, Integral Ad Science has acquired Publica in a transaction valued at $220 million, consisting of approximately 75% in cash consideration and 25% in IAS stock. Integral Ad Science will discuss the acquisition’s anticipated contribution to its financial outlook when it reports second quarter 2021 results on August 12.
